Recent content by BEN52

Your post is painted with a broad brush and full of stretched truth. I spent several years in Tennessee and was lucky to work in 3 quality systems and serve with many quality providers. With a stated sample size of n=1 you appear to have assumed that all or at least most services in an entire...

There are several issues in play here. First and foremost your confidence issue. You did not mention how long you have been a paramedic. If you are new this will pass in time. If you have been at it a little while and it has not leveled off with some experience under your belt you need to act...

Nashville Fire

I will also say this for full disclosure. This site seems to have a lot of California based third service / private providers on the boards. The system you guys speak of seems quite strange to me to say the least, it is simply foreign to what I am accustomed to. I previously worked for a very...

The question was asked. Many calud answers were given. Alarmingly many people jumped up and blasted the pay and defended their low pay. Until single role providers realize their self worth, unite, and fight accordingly nothing will change. I don't consider myself a hero. I don't think im a...

This is why you make less. You can thank him and all the folks just like him.

Tigger, I guess I can agree to disagree with you. I can see your logic I suppose but have a different view of things. I agree with you that EMS cannot be provided at a high level of care with adequate coverage and appropriately compensated employees at a profit.

You are mixing debt and cost of operation. Taxes are payment for service. We do not operate at a loss or profit. We operate at a cost based upon providing the level of service desired by the residents and business community. One of the biggest problems facing single role EMS providers is their...

Payment for service does not equate to debt. The responses to my post elude to why private providers make less money. Failure to adequately assess your value and fight to get paid accordingly.

Prove me wrong. Show me the specific economic principles that my job is funded by taxpayer guaranteed debt.

The poster asked a valid question. Please don't reply if you clearly don't know what you speak of. Taxpayer guranteed debt? My agency is funded through the collection of taxes as well as ems billing. We as is the case with most fire departments don't operate on any type of bonded debt nor do...

I have worked as a paramedic for private services and currently work as a dual role firefighter / paramedic in a municipal department. Firefighter / Paramedics who make good salaries with nice benefits generally work in "labor" (non right to work) states. The unions (predominantly the IAFF)...

I left for a much slower suburban dual role department.

I did for a little over 5 years. Fire based, dual role system running a little over 125k a year with 32 full time ambulances and the occasional peak volume unit running 24 hour shifts. Theoretically we were station based but in reality you were pounding pavement for the duration of the shift. On...

Please don't take this as rude or condescending. Lift heavy things often. Run fast and far. Eat in a manner that leaves you in a caloric deficit and at a ratio of 60/20/20 proteins/fats/carbs. Do this over, and over, and over, and over, and over. Over a period of time the weight will come off...